Polishing raw brass

[elihellsten]

Hi. Next week it's time for Shostakovich 10 on tour and some other stuff. Yesterday I went and picked up a big old kaiser Bb that the conductor want's for Shosta. It's a great old horn, a Mirafone and it has a nice kaiser tone. However it is quite ugly... it is red here and there and has lot of filth on the bell.

My question is, what should I use to polish it? I have no experience with polishing raw brass. I tried a small amount of Autosol (excellent for silverplate etc.) and it seemed to work decent, but then I read the carton that it was for "shiny metal parts and plastic" only. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!

[Dan Schultz]

If you want it to 'shine'... Simichrome is an excellent metal polish and works very well on brass. It should be available in Europe. I think it's made in Germany.

For my personal horns I prefer more of a satin finish. I use Scotch-Brite pads to put a fine 'scratch' finish on the horn and then preserve the look with automotive wax.

[toobagrowl]

I have found that Wright's Silver Creme works well for my silver plated and raw brass tubas. I also sometimes use turpentine (pure gum spirits) and denatured alcohol to clean off dirt/grease/fingerprints. The turpentine smells strong - like spearmint gum gone bad - but is stronger than denatured alcohol and will clean off light tarnish. It's also very good for cleaning & thinning lacquer. Works well for me.
Brasso works well at getting tarnish off, but is very strong & harsh and not good for brass because of the ammonia in it. I'd stay away from it

[Dan Schultz]

I use Scotch-Brite pads to put a fine 'scratch' finish on the horn and then preserve the look with automotive wax.

Interesting. Do you have a pic you can post of a horn you used this technique on? Are there different types of scotch brite pads? Will car wax also preserve the shine if you choose to go the polishing route?

A curious owner of an unlacquered horn.

The grade Scotch-Brite I use are green and available even at places like Dollar Stores. Don't get the generic ones... only name-brand. The car wax works as a cleaner and seems to help preserve the finish somewhat. Furniture polish also seems to work well... spray can like Pledge. The result is a satin finish with a low luster.

As one poster already mentioned... avoid the use of ANYTHING that contains ammonia. Although I don't have concise proof.... ammonia has been blamed for making brass 'brickely'.

The Marzan in the middle is an example of such a finish. It's pretty much care-free. Over time... it will develop an even patina but even after a year or so it still looks pretty good.

[bort]

'brickely'

What is that?

[tofu]

I have found that Wright's Silver Creme works well for my silver plated and raw brass tubas.
Brasso works well at getting tarnish off, but is very strong & harsh and not good for brass because of the ammonia in it. I'd stay away from it

A couple of months ago I found at Farm and Fleet Wright's Brass polish. I don't know if this is a new product for them or if it has been around for awhile. I used it on my raw brass 185 and I am really happy with the results. Goes on easy, comes off easy and the finish still looks great. I've gotten excellent results with their silver polish and paste on my silver horns in terms of tarnish protection and hope the brass polish also offers some protection as well.

[Dan Schultz]

.... I think I like it. Is this pretty much a one time decision? No going back after it is done?

That 'scratch' finish doesn't have much depth. A quick pass with a buffer (removing MINIMAL material) will shine 'er back up again. The finish is about the same as a bead-blast but the scratch gives the brass a bit of a 'shimmer' instead of just a flat finish.

[Michael Woods]

I found some stuff that works great on raw brass. It is called Zephyr pro 40 polish. Zephyr pro 40 has no scent and worked better than MAAS and Flitz which I both found much better than Brasso.

I cleaned up my raw brass alex with ease. Seriously, I was astonished at how quickly the stuff worked, much less rubbing.